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Electrodeposition of Electronic Materials for Applications in Macroelectronic- and Nanotechnology-Based Devices

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Encyclopedia of Applied Electrochemistry

Introduction

Electrodeposition, otherwise known as electroplating, is a well-known industrial process for extraction, purification, and coating of metals for centuries. It was not until the late 1970s that the application of electrodeposition as a semiconductor growth technique was known for the first time [1–5]. The first family of semiconductors grown by this method at the time was the II–VI semiconductor family. This eventually led to the fabrication of one of the first high-efficiency CdTe-based solar cells in the early 1980s with cell efficiency greater than 10 % [6]. These initial results of electrodeposition of CdS/CdTe solar cell triggered serious research and development activities in electrodeposition of semiconductors in general. In 2002, Dharmadasa et al. published 18 % efficiency [7] (unconfirmed) for laboratory-scale CdS/CdTe-based solar cells using electrodeposited CdTe.

Attempts have also been made to electrodeposit elemental semiconductors like silicon [8], as well as...

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the contribution of Ajith Weerasinghe, Fijay Fauzi, Dahiru Diso, and Hussein Salim to the research program resulting to the preparation of this manuscript. Our appreciation also goes to our collaborators in Kazakstan, led by Prof. M. B. Dergacheva, for their invaluable contribution in materials characterization. O. K. Echendu wishes to thank the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria, for financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Electronic Materials and Sensors Group, Materials and Engineering Research Institute, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK

    I. M. Dharmadasa

  2. Electronic Materials and Sensors Group, Materials and Engineering Research Institute, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK

    Obi Kingsley Echendu

Authors
  1. I. M. Dharmadasa
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  2. Obi Kingsley Echendu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to I. M. Dharmadasa .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Eppstein, Germany

    Gerhard Kreysa

  2. Yokohama National University, Fac. Engineering, Yokohama, Japan

    Ken-ichiro Ota

  3. Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Robert F. Savinell

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Dharmadasa, I.M., Echendu, O.K. (2014). Electrodeposition of Electronic Materials for Applications in Macroelectronic- and Nanotechnology-Based Devices. In: Kreysa, G., Ota, Ki., Savinell, R.F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Applied Electrochemistry. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6996-5_37

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